


This Is The Way The Worlds Ends

by VeryImportantDemon



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: (he might not be dead), Angst, Bill Cipher is a dick, Dipper is a great brother, Episode: s02e20 Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls, Ford is pretty great too, Gen, Hurt Dipper Pines, Hurt/Comfort, Like a big one, Mabel is a great sister, Sorry Not Sorry, Stan is the greatest grunkle, Suicide, Take Back the Falls ending, he just really wants to take over the world, he tries, not actually comfort, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 21:03:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6024765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeryImportantDemon/pseuds/VeryImportantDemon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>not with a bang but with a whimper.</p>
<p>The idea to save the world came to him at the very beginning of the end of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Is The Way The Worlds Ends

The idea to save the world came to him at the very beginning of the end of it.  
  
Dipper wasn't sure exactly when he had the idea. He'd put it somewhere between his Grunkle Ford getting kidnapped and frozen by Bill and rescuing his sister from MabelLand.  
  
It really started to form when the bubble popped and the four of them tumbled out. It really took root in his mind when he looked up and he saw Mabel standing there, in her pink sweater, and... Even though she was 5 minutes older than him, he felt an instinct to protect her. To protect his great-uncles, to protect his town, in a way only he could.  
  
He kept it to himself. He didn't tell anyone, because he feared that they'd tell him that his last idea - their last hope - wouldn't work.  
  
He had to do it. He had to be brave.  
  
Dipper had half a mind to just take off on their way back to the shack, but he didn't. Mabel deserved to know what he was doing. He wanted to say good-bye to his family, good and proper, because if his plan worked... He wouldn't see them again.  
  
Dipper Pines hadn't slept in a week and hadn't had a good meal in longer when he thought about telling them again.  
  
He, his sister, Wendy, Soos, and the rest of the crew were huddled inside the shack, all swapping stories softly, when he quietly asked his sister and his Grunkle to come up to the attic with them. (Stan had kept the new gang out of their bedroom.)  
  
It looked exactly like they'd left it a lifetime ago. Was it really just a week since he'd been up here? He swallowed past the lump in his throat and turned from his bed. The hours he'd spent there summer reading... The hours he'd spent her playing indoor mini-golf with Mabel. The hours he'd spent in here with his family. The mold spots on the ceiling even felt so familiar. He didn't want to leave it. He didn't want to leave this room. He didn't want to leave his family.  
  
"Hey, Dipstick. You alright?" His Grunkle's voice cut through the haze of memories and he turned around. He went weak at the knees. He didn't want to do this. He hurtled forward and threw his arms around his Grunkle's shoulders, sobbing into his neck. "Hey, hey, kiddo..." Stan said, scooping the kid up and holding him. "It's alright, kid, we're... We're gonna fix this, alright?"  
  
Kid. Kid. He was a kid. He was just- 13. He'd turned 13 yesterday, and he'd missed it. He was just now a teenager, he should be dating girls, or dating boys. He should be growing up, learning. With his sister by his side. He should be eating leftover birthday cake up in their attic room in the shack with Mabel and both of his Grunkles and laughing. He should be happy. He shouldn't be planning what he was.  
  
Mabel worriedly approached, chattering something that Dipper couldn't hear. Eventually, after what may have been hours or minutes, Dipper cried himself out and Stan put him down and crouched down to be at his level. Dipper sniffled and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, his hat pulled down again. "C'mon, kid," Stan said. "Talk to your Grunkle. What's wrong?"  
  
"Yeah," Mabel echoed. "Come on, Dipper. We can help you. You have to let us. You've done so much for me, Dipper. Let me help you."  
  
He almost sobbed out, _no, no, you can't_ , but he held it in. "I..." His voice shook and trembled. "I think I know how to stop Bill."  
  
His great-uncle and his sister both balked slightly at his words. Mabel shot out like a bullet, immediately talking away. "Dipper, that's great! We can defeat Bill, like we've done before. We can defeat Bill together and we can get everyone back and we can have our party and we can... We can..."  
  
Dipper didn't have the heart to cut her off, but she noticed his somber expression, his cheeks still shining with sticky tears. "We can do it together, can't we, Dipper?" she said nervously. Dipper shook his head slowly, his breath hitching. "No, we can't," he said. "No, we can't. I have to do it alone. I have to do it alone."  
  
He repeated those 6 words again and again, like a mantra, until he thought he was going to start crying again. "I have to do it alone. I have to do it alone. I- I have to-"  
  
Stan put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. "Kid," he said. "Dipper. Poindexter. Come on. What have you got to do alone?"  
  
He stopped himself at Dipper's miserable expression. "No," he said quietly, and he stood straight up suddenly. "No, I won't let you do it. No, Dipper. I won't let you. You can't. You're just a kid!"  
  
"What?" Mabel was growing increasingly more worried. "Dipper, what do you have to do alone? What can't we help you with?" Dipper didn't answer, drawing in a breath and trying not to sob again. "Dipper? Grunkle Stan? Someone, tell me what's going on!" she demanded.  
  
Dipper's breath rattled in his throat and his voice cracked when he started to speak, so he started over. He told his sister his plan.  
  
"No!" she exclaimed. "No, no, no. Dipper, no, _I can't_. I won't let you, it's too dangerous." She sniffled this time, wiping her eyes with her sweater sleeve.  
  
Dipper shook his head and swallowed again. "I have to," he said. "I have to," he repeated. Oh god, he did have to. The only person who knew another way to defeat Bill was frozen in gold. But he didn't want to. He wanted to find another way, but they didn't have time to wonder about other ways. They didn't have time to find another solution.  
  
"How do you know _he_ 'll even go for your crazy plan, Dipper?" Stan asked. Dipper steeled himself to answer. He had an idea in this, too. "He needs me," he explained. "Have you noticed he... And the others can't get out of Gravity Falls? I think he needs... I think he needs to be human to escape."  
  
Immediately, his family burst into protests.  
  
"Dipper, it's too dangerous, I can't let you!"  
  
"Dipper, please! Dipper. You can't, we need to... We need to grow up together! Please!"  
  
The youngest Pines shook his head. He didn't want to, he didn't want to, but... He had to protect his family, his friends. His town. And he was the only one who could. Not Ford, not Stan,  not even Mabel.  
  
 _He_  had to stop Bill.  
  
He forced his voice to work and spoke again. "Please, guys," he said. "This is the only way. The only other person who knew how to defeat Bill is... Is gone. You have to... Please. Every brave or... Or cool thing I've done this summer was because of the journals. I had an idea, an idea of my own, and I need to... I need to do this. I need to do this for you guys. You have to let me do this. I need to... You have to let me be brave. Please. You have to let me be brave."  
  
"Kid..." Stan's voice cracked and he leaned forward again, wrapping Dipper up in his arms and holding him. "You're just like him," the older man mumbled. "You're just like him... Why won't you just let us help you?" He finally put the kid down and adjusted his glasses. "We can take this three-sided clown down as a family. Together."  
  
"Because I can't, Stan," he said finally. "Normally, I would agree with you, but... This time, we can't. This is the only thing we can't do  together."  
  
Mabel hiccuped, staggering forward and wrapping her brother in a hug. "Dipper, please," she sobbed. "Please. I'll let you have the bigger room back in California. I'll stop growing so you can be the Alpha Twin. Please, Dipper, you can't."  
  
He wanted nothing more than to stay in his attic room forever with his sister and his uncle, but he was the only one who could save Gravity Falls.  
  
Mabel looked up from his shoulder finally, her eyes watering with tears. "Please," she said. Dipper's resolve almost completely cracked at that. He couldn't do that to Mabel. She'd have to grow up without him. She'd have to grow up alone. He couldn't do that to her.  
  
 _But,_  he reminded himself, _she won't get to grow up if you don't do it_. He disentangled himself from her which took more strength than he thought he had. He swallowed and looked up at Stan. "Tell my, um... Tell my parents I love them, okay? And it's not your fault. Or Mabel's. They have to know that, okay? They have to know that this was my choice."  
  
Stan swallowed. "Alright, kiddo," he said. "You know, you're a lot smarter than me. And a lot smaller than me," he added. "I could throw you in a closet and lock you in there until we sort the apocalypse out." Dipper laughed softly. "You won't," he said. "You wouldn't do that to me." Stan paused. "But I'm also not about to let you go and sacrifice yourself like some kind of hero. You're too young to need to be making this kind of decision."  
  
Dipper shrugged. "It's the apocalypse," he said. "We've all got to do some things we're not ready for." He composed himself, his voice raspy when he tried to continue speaking. "I... I love you, Grunkle Stan," he said. Stan smiled sadly and bent down, one hand on Dipper's shoulder, before pulling him into a hug. Dipper threw his arms around his great-uncle's neck and squeezed him tightly for a few moments before finally letting go. "Come on, Poindexter," Stan said with a nervous laugh. "Hurry up. I expect to see you on the other side. We've got... We've got a bat infestation you need to clear out. And I've got your broom ready."  
  
Dipper smiled. "Gotcha, old man," he said, giving him a quick thumbs up and turned towards his sister.  
  
What could he say to her? She was the one of the only people he'd always known. She was his twin sister. She'd been with him through _everything_. He hoped she knew how thankful he was that she'd never left his side. He hoped she knew how much she meant to him.  
  
"Mabel," he said helplessly. She looked up at him and smiled weakly, and he tumbled into her arms. She squeezed her 'little' brother tightly. "It's okay, Dipper," she said softly. "I know. I know."  
  
After a minute, Dipper tried to pull away, but Mabel held on tight. "Please don't go, Dipper," she said softly. "Please. I don't want you to go. We've got to grow up together, remember?" Dipper finally pulled back, disentangling himself from his sister's arms. "I'm sorry, Mabel," he said. "I have to do this. So you get to grow up." He smiled weakly. "Take trigonometry for me, okay?"  
  
Dipper walked out of the attic room, and he tried not to look back.  
  
He was barely a few steps out of the front door of the shack when he felt something stumbling into his back. He turned to say something but when his saw Mabel, he faltered. "I got something for you," she said quickly. She peeled off her pink shooting star sweater and held it out to him. "I want you to have it," she said. "It'll help you be brave. Even though you don't really need it. You're super brave on your own."  
  
Dipper laughed softly and smiled. He shrugged off his classic blue vest and pulled the sweater on over his dark orange shirt. Good thing he and Mabel were about the same size. "Thanks, Mabel," he said finally. "I've, um... I meant to give you this..." He reached up and pulled the blue-and-white cap off of his head. He leaned over and put it snugly on his twin's head. "I love it," she said seriously. "I'll wear it all the time."  
  
Dipper laughed and brushed his eyes with the back of his hand again. "Mabel, g-"  
  
She cut him off. "No," she said. "No, Dipper. Don't tell me that. You have to... You have to tell me like you're gonna see me again. That's... That's the only way I'm not gonna follow you all the way there and stop you." Dipper smiled slightly and waved. "See you tonight for dinner, Mabel," he said, taking a step backwards. "You'd better be early," she told him. "Of course I will," he said, inching backwards. "We're having left over birthday cake for dessert, right?"  
  
Mabel nodded and smiled faintly. "Definitely," she told him. "If there's any left. Grunkle Stan might've eaten it all." Dipper waved again. "I'll see you tonight, Mabel," he said.  
  
Mabel waved back and spoke as her brother disappeared into the trees. Her hand fell to her side. "I'll see you tonight," she said softly.  
  


* * *

  
Dipper swallowed, dragging his feet through the underbrush of the forest, crushing leaves and roots underfoot. He tried not to look back because of he did, he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep going.  
  
He brushed his thumbs against the hem of the pink sweater and took a deep breath.

* * *

  
"Alright, Bill!" Dipper called, clambering to the top of a ruined building. He raised his voice and shouted louder. "I'm here, Bill! Come on out! Im here!"  
  
A loud cackling filled the air, causing the hair on the back of Dipper's neck to stand up. He squinted against the brightness of the light but the yellow burned into his eyelids, the gist of wind pushing at him. He finally pried his eyes open, the horrible laugh echoing in his ears.  
  
" _HAHAHAHAHA! PINE TREE! HOW NICE TO SEE YOU!_ " The yellow dream demon himself loomed huge above the boy in the sweater. " _AND WITH A NEW OUTFIT, THAT'S ALWAYS NICE TO SEE!_ "  Dipper squinted again as the demon came into focus, a golden statue hovering over one open palm.  
  
"I'm ready to make a deal!" Dipper shouted, steeling himself. "I have new information and I'm ready to make a deal!"  
  
" _INFORMATION, YOU SAY?_ " The dream demon shrunk to a more manageable size, still towering over Dipper. "Oh ho ho! What new information would that be?"  
  
Dipper shook his head. "I said a deal, Cipher. I'll give you something but you have to give me something, too?"  
  
"Oh, do I, Pine Tree?" Bill swooped closer, his one eye wide and surveying the boy on the roof.  "You do," Dipper said, forcing his voice to stay strong. "I'll give you the information and the... Resources to escape Gravity Falls, but only if you spare my family. My great-uncles, both of them, Wendy, Soos, and Mabel."  
  
Bill laughed again, the sound so loud it made Dipper's ears pound. "Oh, I'll think about it, Pine Tree! What've you got for me?"  
  
Dipper took a deep breath and let it out, bracing himself to speak. "You're too powerful," he said. "You can't escape the barrier around this town because you're too big. Too powerful. You need to be human. Or... Or part of a human. You need to possess someone."  
  
"I do, Pine Tree? And who would that be?" Bill swooped closer, Ford still hovering above one hand. Dipper sucked in a breath again. "Me."  
  
"I suppose that could be arranged, Pine Tree!" Bill said. "I wasn't going to be able to kill them, anyway! Some bizz about all of you being on the wheel! Hahahaha! Alright, Pine Tree, here's your second grunkle! Catch!" Bill snapped his fingers and the gold melted away. Then, Ford started falling. "Grunkle Ford!" he shouted, darting toward him.  
  
The older man landed on the same building Dipper waited on. "Grunkle Ford!" he shouted again, panicked, darting towards him. He was amazed the roof held, but his great-uncle was picking himself up out of the rubble. "Dipper," he said. "Dipper, Bill's still here. You have to get out of here. The Mystery Shack should still be safe. Get out of here, Dipper!" Dipper shook his head. "No," he said. "I'm sorry, Grunkle Ford. I can't. Stan and Mabel are back at the shack. Tell them I, um... Tell them I went bravely, please? Tell them it worked. Tell them I went with a bang."  
  
Ford frowned, confused, and stumbled forward, his right ankle giving slightly. "Dipper, what are you... You can't deal with him, Dipper!" Dipper swallowed. "Please, Grunkle Ford."  
  
Bill laughed loudly again. "Alright, 6 Fingers and Pine Tree! Reunion over! Now it's my turn! My turn to get out of this hick town! Hahahahaha! Ready, Pine Tree?!" Dipper took a deep breath and let it out in a puff of air. He glanced down at the shooting star on M- his sweater and straightened his back. The thought of his sister gave him resolve.  
  
Mabel. He could do this for Mabel. For Mabel...  
  
"I'm ready, Bill," he said, holding his arms out. "I'm ready."  
  
"Oh, I've been waiting for this since your sister's puppet show! Hahahahaha!" His laughter grew louder and louder, echoing in Dipper's head. " _HAHAHAHA!_ "  
  
 _Mabel_ , he thought. _For Mabel_.  
  
"Dipper!" Ford'a voice cut through. "Dipper, no!"  
  
"Grunkle Ford!" he shouted back over the rushing wind and laughter. "I have to do this! I'm... I'm sorry i didn't get to know you better. But you have to let me go!""  
  
He glanced down at his sweater and then looked up again, his eyes closed. He wanted the last thing he saw as himself to be something good. Something happy. The shooting star.  
  
The yellow light grew brighter and brighter and brighter until it flashed and disappeared and his limbs weren't his own.  
  
It was his voice that spoke, but it wasn't him saying it. "Oh, this is nice... A body! This is exactly as underwhelming as it was last time. But so excited! Hahahaha!"  
  
Bill moved Dipper's legs, forcing him to pace in a circle with his hands on his hips. "Oh, this body... I missed this, Pine Tree! You're still in there, aren'tcha, Pine Tree?" he called. Dipper pounded weakly against Bill's hold. He could do this. He could do this. Mabel. Mabel...  
  
Bill laughed Dipper's laugh, tainted with an evil smirk. "Oh, Shooting Star! Such a pity I didn't get to know her better than I did..." He sighed but cackled again. "Alright, time for nostalgia is over! Let's crash this party and being the weird to the rest of the world! Hahahaha!" He started walking towards the edge of the roof. "Bill! I know how to defeat you!"  
  
Oh, Ford. Ford was still here. Ford could still help him. He didn't want to die, he didn't want to die alone.  
  
Bill giggled and turned Dipper's body towards Ford. "Oh, 6 Fingers! Too late! You can't hurt me without hurting your nephew and I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt him! I was in your head once, too!"  
  
The constant exclamation points were making Dipper's throat raw. Ford faltered but dragged himself forward a few more paces. "I'll find a way," he said. "I'll find a way, Cipher!" Bill giggled again, and wow, he did laugh a lot. "I don't think you will, Fordsy! Hahahaha!"  
  
Bill forced Dipper's body to move towards the edge of the roof when he stumbled to a stop. He stooped down and picked up what appeared to be a rusted metal piece of the decimated building below him.  
  
 _For Mabel._  
  
"No, Pine Tree!" Bill struggled, trying to stop Dipper's arms from creeping towards him. "Pine Tree, what are you doing? We could rule all the dimensions together!"  
  
 _For Mabel,_ he told himself. F _or my family._  
  
"Your lame family?" Bill pulled against Dipper's influence again. "That's who you're doing this for? Ditch them! Join me, Pine Tree! Join me and you won't need them!"  
  
 _Mabelm_  Dipper thought back insistently. _Mabel's more important to me than anything. Mabel._  
  
Dipper pushed his arms towards his stomach, the twisted piece of metal inching closer.  
  
"Pine Tree! Pine Tree! Come on! Come... Come... Come on! Don't do this to me, Pine Tree!"  
  
Dipper whimpered and steeled himself one last time. He was going to go with a bang. He was going to be brave. He was going to go bravely. He was going to do it for his great-uncles. He was going to do it for Soos and Wendy. He was going to do it for the rest of the town of Gravity Falls. He was going to go bravely into the good, dark night, and he was going to do it for Mabel.  
  
 _For... For.. For M..._  
  
"For M..." Bill pushed, and Dipper pushed back. "No! Pine Tree! For M... Pine Tree! Pine Tree, stop this madness! Pine... Tree! For..."  
  
The twisted piece of metal brushed the pink fabric of the sweater. "Dipper!" Ford called out, stumbling forward and tripping. Bill and Dipper pulled back together.  
  
"For... For Mabel!" Dipper shouted. "For Mabel!"  
  
Dipper thrust the piece of metal in his stomach, and it ripped a hole in the pink fabric and his skin.  
  
Bill, Dipper, and Ford all screamed together, but Bill's echoed louder.  
  
Dipper's faded away.

* * *

Mabel looked up from where she'd stayed frozen since her brother had left, his pine tree hat still perched on her head. The yellow explosion of light peeked over the trees.  
  
She sank to the ground with a whimper.

* * *

_Mabel..?_   
  
_...Mabel._

 

 

_Mabel_

**Author's Note:**

> I left the ending ambiguous, so you can believe what you will, but in my mind, Dipper isn't dead. A sequel is turning the gears in my head.


End file.
